Spain Rest Barcelona's Cubarsi for Czech Republic Match in Oviedo

Luis de la Fuente leaves Pau Cubarsi out of Spain's squad for the Nations League game against the Czech Republic, with the Barcelona defender being rested rather than injured.

Spain's squad for their Nations League fixture against the Czech Republic will not include Pau Cubarsi. The Barcelona defender has been left out of the group for the match in Oviedo, with national team coach Luis de la Fuente choosing to rest the teenager, according to a report from Mundo Deportivo. The move is by choice rather than necessity.

The report is emphatic that the decision has nothing to do with an injury. It is instead a workload-management call, taken to protect a young player who has already taken on significant minutes for both Barcelona and Spain and who is viewed as needing careful handling at this stage of his development, particularly after a heavy run of international fixtures.

The recent record explains the caution. Cubarsi started each of Spain's previous two matches, against England and Croatia, and stayed on the field for all of them, playing 180 minutes across the two internationals. Going the distance in consecutive games at this level made sitting him out an easy call for the coaching staff.

His omission also arrives in a camp that has already been thinned out. Pedro Porro, Eric Garcia, Nico Williams, Grimaldo and Ferran Torres have all gone back to their clubs during the current international window, leaving De la Fuente with fewer players than he began with.

That attrition has shaped the coach's approach. De la Fuente is determined to prevent any additional departures before the window closes, and according to the report, the players still with the national team are being handled with particular care as a result.

Cubarsi's rest, however, is narrow in scope. Mundo Deportivo reports that the plan is for him to return for Spain's next outing, against Croatia in Split on Tuesday, which would give him time to recover from a heavy pair of games. By then he is expected to be fully rested, and the pause also allows De la Fuente to rotate his squad without taking an avoidable risk with the center back.

There is a club-side benefit as well. The report notes that the decision has been well received at Barcelona, where Cubarsi remains central to the plans of head coach Hansi Flick. For someone who has become an established starter for club and country despite his age, keeping his minutes in check has grown into a priority.

The omission from the Oviedo squad should not be mistaken for anything more than that. It is not a loss of standing in the group, but a considered move to shield a defender who has just completed two full internationals. If the plan holds, Cubarsi will face Croatia with a stretch of recovery behind him.

Barcelona's next scheduled match follows on the club calendar: Real Madrid visit Spotify Camp Nou on Sunday, October 4, at 11:00 AM EDT.